Nightmares
by Heracratzarism
Summary: After the harness facility mission, Ben has nightmares about his previous experience with being harnessed in one of the factories. Hal tries to help his little brother, but Ben refuses to let anyone in. Please review! I do not own Falling Skies.
1. Nightmare? Yeah, that's one word for it

Nightmares

Ben was in a damp, grimy cell with half a dozen other kids. The fear in the room was so thick you could choke on it, and the terrified children were huddled together in small groups. Some of them were only seven or eight years old.

_The same age as Matt. Man, I hope everyone's safe,_ Ben thought, desperately wishing that his family was alright as he looked around the tiny cell for the millionth time.

His father and mother would keep his brothers out of danger. They wouldn't let anything happen to Hal or Matt.

The kidnapped teen felt his eyes sting with tears as he remembered the last things he and his older brother had said to each other.

_"Why don't you grow up? If you hadn't noticed, we've got a pretty big _alien _problem to deal with!" Hal shouted at his younger brother, clenching his fists as he took a step forward._

_ "Oh really? I didn't notice! Thank you for enlightening me, Hal. Since you're so smart all of a sudden, why don't you try and solve the worlds problems?" Ben spat back, never backing down from his older brother's scathing glare._

_ Hal shoved his younger brother, and that was when their mother stepped in._

_ "Hey! You two need to cool off!" She ordered, separating the arguing siblings with a gentle yet firm push._

_ "Fine," the younger Mason growled, turning on his heel and stalking out the door._

_ Sarah just sighed, assuming that her second child would stay on the porch. _

_ "Hal," she began calmly. "I understand that you and Ben don't get along, but..."_

_ His mother's soft voice faded as he stepped off the porch and headed away from his house. Ben hoped they didn't wake his dad up. He remembered his mom mentioning how exhausted their father was, which was why she was going out to get food today instead of him._

_ The second Mason child had no idea that he was about to be captured by aliens._

Ben wished he had just stayed on the porch. He wouldn't have been cornered and shot by giant robots if he had.

_What if the last thing me and Hal did was fight? _He thought in dismay.

The sandy-haired teen brought his scraped knees to his chest at the thought, trying to block out the screams of other children as goodness-knows-what was done to them. Someone said the aliens dissected the kids they brought in. Another guessed they would be eaten. A different kid surmised that worm-like creatures would be attached to their bodies.

Ben thought that was the most ridiculous thing he'd ever heard.

The frightened boy was brought back to reality when the cell door swung open, revealing one of their guards.

Ben's heart skipped a beat as a bug thing with six legs crawled over the threshold and strode over to him. The fourteen year old took an immediate step back, and he panicked when his back hit the cold wall behind him.

The disgusting creature reached one of its hands out and brought it to Ben's face, causing the terrified Mason to cringe away in horror. None of the other children dared to move as Ben was led out of the small holding cell by the six-legged monstrosity.

He started choking on fumes and steam the moment he left the tiny cell, and he wanted nothing more than to go back into the cramped prison. Ben's hazel eyes widened in shock when he saw three other creatures like the one behind him in the large room.

The creature behind the scared teen pushed him toward a flat berth with restraints on either side. Ben panicked again when he realized that it wanted him to lie down on the filthy slab, and he started struggling against the strong tentacles that wrapped themselves around his arms and waist.

"Let me go! Let me go!" Ben screamed, kicking out with his legs.

Another creature came over and assisted the first. Together, they tied the flailing boy to the table.

Ben strained, but he only succeeded in chaffing the skin of his wrists and ankles.

Where was his dad? Didn't his father always say he would never let anything bad happen to him?

The fourteen year old froze when he felt a slimy liquid dripping onto his lower back and soaking through his shirt. The liquid was followed by a squelching sound behind him. Ben jerked on his restraints until he started bleeding, but he still couldn't budge.

Ben froze when one of the creatures put its large, rough hand on the back of his head, effectively holding him down even more. The poor, distressed teenager almost had a heart attack when something slithered onto his back and crawled toward his neck.

The second Mason child barely had time to scream before the worm-thing plunged something hard into the back of his neck.

Ben had never been more scared, and he felt like crying out in terror and pain and frustration.

Strangely, someone was calling his name. They sounded worried, but who here would be worried about him? Then, something grabbed his shoulder and shook him hard and-

Ben shot straight up in his cot, gasping and sweating. Hal's hand was on his shoulder and his brown eyes were filled with concern as Ben untangled himself from his nest of blankets. The younger Mason was still distressed from his dream, and it was obvious by the expression on his face.

"Hey. Ben. Are you okay?" Hal asked, his hand still on his younger brother's shoulder.

Ben tensed at the question, still breathing hard, and answered pitifully, "Fine."

The older Mason's eyes darkened, and he growled, "Would you stop lying to me for once?"

Ben swung his legs over the side of the cot and started heading out of the tent, but Hal stopped the teen soldier by grabbing his bicep and swinging him around. The younger Mason was forced to look his older brother in the eyes, even though he wanted nothing more than to leave the tent for a little while.

"Hal-" He started in annoyance, grateful that his cold mask was back on.

It was impossible not to let his guard down when he was asleep.

His older brother cut him off, threatening, "I swear to God, Ben, if you lie and say you're fine _one more time,_ I'll throttle you! I meant it when I said I just want to help, but I can't if you keep pushing me away!"

"We have bigger things to worry about, Hal. It's not big deal, so just drop it and _back off!"_ Ben hissed, trying to break free of his older brother's grip.

"I'm not asking you to cry on my shoulder and tell me everything. I know it's a lot, but when you're screaming in your sleep, even _I_ know you need help!"

Ben felt his resolve cracking, but he couldn't tell Hal about his nightmares. He could hardly think about it without wanting to curl into a ball and cry. If his brother kept pressuring him, Ben knew he'd spill, and he already promised himself he wouldn't talk about being harnessed unless he had to.

"I told you that I was fine!" The sandy-haired teen snapped, finally shaking his brother's hand off and stomping out of the tent. He made sure to grab his gun and weapons belt before he left.

Ben rushed out of camp as fast as he could, ignoring the distrustful glares most of the 2nd Mass sent his way. Why couldn't Hal understand that talking about what happened would only make things worse? The younger Mason hadn't been exaggerating when he said that half of the people thought he killed Jimmy. Thanks to his improved senses, Ben could hear most of the hateful comments people were too afraid to say to his face.

_I wonder who's next on that half-breed's kill list!_

_ Jimmy probably caught him trying to sell us out to the Skitters, so he killed him. You know what they say: dead men tell no tales._

_ Hal never should have brought that filthy razorback to camp!_

_ It's only a matter of time before he shows his true colors and turns on us all._

Ben tried to ignore what they said, but sometimes he felt like punching a wall. Everyone was wary around him nowadays. That was one of the reasons he kept to himself: he didn't want the 2nd Mass to treat his brother any differently just because he had spikes in his back.

_Spikes that glow,_ the traumatized fourteen year old added.

It only got worse when his father returned from the alien ship with that _thing_ in his head. The whispers became louder and bolder, but Ben still ignored them, calmly acting as if he hadn't heard a thing.

The teenage soldier could still hear them whispering, and their words made him walk even faster.

"I wonder where _he's_ rushing off to," a man muttered, glaring at the Mason boy.

"He's probably going to visit his Skitter buddies!" Another replied, straightening his grimy jacket.

A group of teenage civilians tried and failed to be discreet as they coughed 'Razorback' a few times, and Ben resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

The sandy-haired teen breathed a sigh of relief as he finally made it out of camp, and he quickly took a familiar path to a small grove of trees. Ben had accidentally stumbled upon it when he was taking a walk one afternoon, and now he came to the shady alcove when he needed to think or cool down.

He started to relax a bit, the terror of his nightmare slowly receding. The cool morning air and the comforting weight of his assault rifle on his back helped to calm his nerves.

Ben thought about what Hal had said about wanting to help, but the younger boy just couldn't bring himself to talk about what had happened. It had been hard enough telling everyone about it in the meeting yesterday, and that wasn't even everything that had happened. Besides, if he thought about it too much, let alone fully confide in someone else, he would lose the careful composure he spent three months building up. One wrong move, and it would all come tumbling down on top of him.

He couldn't let that happen.

Maybe one day he would be able to tell someone about it, but today wasn't that day. Especially after what happened at the harness facility.

Ben knew it wasn't a good idea to go on the mission, but Matt had been taken and the others would need someone who actually knew what happened to the harnessed children to go along on the mission.

The teen soldier sighed as he leaned against a tree trunk, the smell of bark and earth surrounding him. Hopefully, he'd be able to talk about what happened.

Maybe one day.

Just not today.

**A/N**

**I think all of the angsty Ben plot bunnies are attacking me. He's just been gushing angst lately, so it's hard not write about it. Not that I'm complaining because, trust me when I say, it's been super fun! Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed that little Fic. Please review!**


	2. Worrying

Nightmares

Hal shook his head as Ben stormed out of the tent, scooping up his weapons before he left. Sighing in defeat, the older Mason sat down on his own cot. He was glad Matt and his dad hadn't been in the tent when he had been arguing with Ben.

What was his problem anyway? Hal was only trying to help, but his younger brother kept pushing him away. The sixteen year old hated seeing his brother act cold and indifferent when he was obviously dying on the inside.

Hal knew that Ben was traumatized after what happened. Who wouldn't be? He had been taken by aliens, harnessed, and forced to participate in their slave labor force. After he was finally rescued, the sandy-haired teen found out that their mother was dead and he wasn't even free from the harness' influence. Then, their father was taken, and Ben started withdrawing into himself. He become quiet and secluded, never really speaking to anyone except Jimmy and Matt on occasion. To make matters worse, Ben had accidentally shot their father. Hal knew for a fact that it was still eating at the younger Mason, but he still wouldn't talk to anyone about it.

Then, Jimmy had died.

Ben was still devastated over his friend's passing. Hal had seen the panic and distress on his younger brother's face when he had carried a gravely injured Jimmy back to camp: a branch through the younger boy's stomach. The previously harnessed boy had been on the verge of tears when he was dragged out of the medical bus and interrogated by Weaver, barely having the breath to form coherent sentences.

Hal saw how broken his younger brother was when Jimmy had died, his green eyes filled with anguish. At the funeral, he tried to comfort his younger brother, but Ben had just stayed silent as he tossed a handful of dirt onto the red blanket that covered Jimmy's body.

Something else was happening to Ben. Hal had seen it first hand at the harnessing facility when his baby brother's spikes had glowed a brilliant shade of cerulean right before the the harness' holding tank was barraged with bullets.

Hal tried to talk to Ben about it, but he tried to ignore the facts in front him. He knew the dry patches were growing and now his spikes were glowing, yet he pretended it wasn't happening in the hope that it would go away.

The sixteen year old shook his head again, reluctantly pushing the mountain of thoughts to the back of his mind as his father entered their tent.

"Hey, Hal. Did you get much sleep last night? Where's Ben?" His father asked, noticing that his middle son wasn't in his cot.

"He's somewhere. I'm kinda worried about him, actually," Hal admitted, looking up at the oldest Mason.

"I know. Trust me, I wish he hadn't come with us on that mission yesterday. I tried to get him to stay, but he wouldn't budge. Besides, you can't exactly blame Ben. Matt was there, and you know he'd do anything to protect you two," Tom pointed out to his eldest son.

"Dad, have you noticed Ben acting... different lately?" Hal asked carefully.

"What do mean by 'diff-"

Tom didn't get to finish his sentence because Matt ran into the tent with a big smile on his face and asked, "Hal! The other team needs an extra player for Skitterball. C'mon, we've gotta hurry or they'll start without us!"

"Easy, little bro," the dark-haired teen said, smiling at his baby brother. "I'm coming. I'm coming."

Tom watched as the two brothers went off to play and he smiled, but it quickly faded when he realized he still hadn't found Ben.

He wondered what Hal noticed about his younger brother that worried him so much. Then again, Tom was concerned, too. When Ben had told his father how much he hated the Skitters, he couldn't help but worry. And after the Jimmy incident, Tom was unsettled by how quiet his middle child had become.

He knew Ben had gone through a lot, what with the harness and all, but surely it wasn't good for him to bottle it up inside? He would ask Anne if she noticed anything off during Ben's routine check-ups.

For now, he would just have to hope that Ben would open up to someone.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Ben was slowly making his way back to camp, though he wasn't trying to rush back. He was late enough for his appointment with Dr. Glass, but he still wasn't eager to see his big brother again. He knew Hal would keep pestering him to talk, and he just couldn't do that yet.

The teen soldier sighed as the familiar camp site of the 2nd came into view. Still ignoring the glares and whispers, Ben softly padded towards the medical bus. When he arrived, Lourdes' calm voice greeted him.

"Hey, Ben. Dr. Glass is right over there. She's ready to see you," the Latino said with a genuine smile.

The teen soldier returned her friendliness with a tiny smile of his own. Lourdes was nice, and she didn't treat him like a freak.

Dr. Glass made her way over to the fifteen year old and asked how he was feeling, going through the routine questions she always asked him when he had his periodical check ups.

"Fine," he replied, shrugging his assault rifle off and leaning against one side of the bus.

"I'll make this quick, don't worry," she assured as Ben pulled his shirt over his head, scowling when the hem of his shirt got caught on one of his spikes.

Dr. Glass inspected the dry patches on his back and prodded them a few times, once again asking Ben if he could feel it.

"Well," she began, "it doesn't look that much worse."

"It's not getting better, either," the sandy-haired teen replied as he slipped back into his shirt, eager to leave the bus. "Bye, Dr. Glass. Bye Lourdes."

Ben retrieved his weapons, taking comfort in the cool metal of the barrel against his back as he walked through camp. He had patrol in twenty minutes and he inwardly groaned when he remembered that Hal was his patrolling partner.

_Joy,_ his mind deadpanned.

The sounds of laughter and running caused Ben to look over and see a group of kids playing Skitterball. The formerly harnessed teen recognized a few of the players. Hal and Maggie were on different teams, and the female soldier looked like the only one out of the two who was actually playing.

Hal kept stealing Matt's red baseball cap and dangling it just barely out of his reach. Ben smiled when his younger brother finally got his hat back, but not before the other team scored, cheers and groans mingling together in the early morning air.

"You did that on purpose, jerk!" Matt accused, but he had a smile on his face.

"What are talking about, little bro? We just scored fair and square," Hal replied, pretending to sound offended. "What's the score now, anyway? I think we're winning by- oof!"

The older Mason was cut off when Maggie kicked the ball at the back of Hal's head.

"Oops. Sorry," she said with a grin, not really sounding apologetic.

Ben couldn't help but snort at the look on his older brother's face, but his smile quickly faded when the sudden noise caused Hal to look over at his brother. His older brother excused himself from the game and made his way over to Ben.

The younger Mason cut Hal off before he could ask him how he was doing and said, "We have patrol in about fifteen minutes-"

"Ben..."

"-so I'll meet you at the north entrance when you're done playing Skitterball," Ben finished, not acknowledging the fact that his brother had spoken.

The sandy-haired teenager spun on his heel and left his brother standing by himself, concerned look still on his face as he watched his younger brother walk away.

When the teen soldier arrived at the northern entrance, he sighed deeply. Ben knew Hal would ask more questions, but he also knew that he couldn't handle this right now. The traumatized minor was becoming overwhelmed with everything, and being interrogated by his older brother certainly didn't help.

He would have to come up with something to convince Hal that he was okay. Maybe he would be lucky and it would be a good enough lie to get his brother to back off.

Then again, Ben Mason wasn't the lucky type.

**A/N**

**Well, there's Chapter 2. I didn't have time to go through this as well as I'd have liked, so there are probably a few mistakes. I hope you liked this chapter. The site made it easier than ever to review, so please tell me what you thought!**


	3. Problems on Patrol

Nightmares

Hal watched his younger brother spin around and rush off, snatching up his weapons before he left. The older Mason growled in frustration and clenched his fists. When was that stupid kid going to realize that he was only trying to help?

The dark-haired teen huffed in exasperation and annoyance, shaking his head for the millionth time as he made his way to the weapons depot.

He loved his brother to death, but Ben could be really difficult sometimes. Hal wasn't giving up, though. The sixteen year old was just as stubborn as Ben, and he would keep needling the sandy-haired boy until he opened up to someone.

After all, what were big brothers for?

Hal approached the armory and was greeted by Dai, who was just getting back from patrol.

"Hey, Hal. Getting ready for patrol? I think I saw Ben by the north entrance," the Japanese man said, unloading his assault rifle and pistols and putting the ammunition in their correct places.

"Yeah, me and Ben have patrol in five minutes. I'm just picking up a few weapons before I meet up with him," Hal answered over his shoulder as he grabbed a rifle of his own and loaded it, making sure to pick up a few extra magazines.

"Well, I'll see you when you get back."

"Yeah, see you later, Dai," Hal said, giving a small wave as he hefted the rifle onto his broad shoulder.

The eldest Mason son exited the 2nd Mass' makeshift weapons cache and headed for the north gate, adjusting his gun's strap as he went.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Anne finished bandaging Tector's injury and said, "The cut's not very deep, so it'll be fine, as long as you don't reopen the wound or get it infected."

"Okay. Thanks, doc," the soldier grunted, hopping off the medical cot and exiting the bus.

"Lourdes, do you think you'll be okay on your own? I want to talk to Tom about something," the older women asked, washing her hands in the bowl of clear water.

"Sure," the Latino said with a small smile, no doubt thinking about the last time she accidentally interrupted Anne and Tom.

Anne exited the medical bus and quickly made her way to the Mason's tent. She carefully popped her head in to see if Tom was there, and she was relieved to see that he was alone. The professor was straightening the tent up, and his back was turned to her.

"Uh, Tom. Can I talk to you about something?" She asked, slowly approaching the older man.

"Yeah, sure. Is everything okay?" Tom asked, turning to face Anne.

The younger woman looked uncertain as she asked, "Everything's fine, I think. I just want to make sure before I dismiss it as nothing, though. Tom, is everything alright with Ben?"

"You've noticed something, too?" The father asked, his hands dragging down his face in an exhausted gesture. "It feels like you'd be hard pressed to find someone who didn't."

"It's just, when he came in for his examination, he looked drained, and I'm worried he may not be sleeping much. Ever since you left, he's just been really distant and quite. After Jimmy died, it looked like it was getting worse," Anne noted, her tone concerned.

"Earlier this morning, Hal asked me if I noticed Ben acting different lately," Tom recalled with worry.

"With everything he's been through, I understand him being a little distant, but I feel like I need to ask this. Has he talked to anyone about what happened? Has he talked about anything at all?" She asked.

Tom looked at Anne, and she could see the helplessness in his eyes as he said, "No, and I don't know how to get him to open up. It's up to him, now."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Ben was having a hard time coming up with convincing lies as he waited for his brother to show up. Each one sounded more pathetic than the last.

_I'm fine._

_ The nightmares actually have nothing to do with me being harnessed._

_ It wasn't even a nightmare. I was only thrashing because my dream was about swimming._

_It was a joke?_

When his excuses started becoming questions, the teen soldier decided to quit while he was behind. It shouldn't have been that hard to fabricate a convincing lie, but apparently it was.

Ben muttered something about stupid, nosy brothers under his breath just as Hal finally arrived at the north gate.

"What took you so long?" The younger Mason asked as he walked alongside his brother. "I was beginning to think you went back to sleep or something."

"I just had to pick up a few weapons," his brother replied simply, his tone calm and nonchalant.

The two brothers started their patrol route through the shady forest in silence. There were no birds chirping or flying from tree to tree, and the quiet was starting to suffocate the traumatized soldier.

Ben was waiting for the taller boy to say something about that morning, and he couldn't figure out why Hal was staying silent. In the mean time, his mind was still trying to come up with lies, but the attempt was futile.

They finished patrol quicker than Ben had anticipated, and Hal still hadn't said a word.

Desperate to break the crushing silence, the younger Mason suggested, "Well, uh, we should head back now."

Hal glanced at his older brother and said, "Actually, since we had some extra time, I thought we could take a little walk."

Ben stopped abruptly, not missing the hidden meaning in his brother's words. The sandy-haired teen glared at his brother.

"Are you ever going to give up?" He asked in irritation as Hal turned to face the ruffled boy.

"No, I'm not. I'm _not_ going to give up on my brother, so you might as well get used to it," Hal shot back. "How can you just act like nothing's wrong? This isn't going to go away!"

"You think I don't know that!" Ben yelled back, clenching his fists.

"You can't just ignore it!"

Ben shook his head and replied, "No, but I can ignore you."

The younger Mason stopped when a soft ringing sound filled his mind. He recognized it as a couple of Skitters communicating, and he fried to focus on where they were, his eyes closed in concentration. Ben was briefly aware of Hal saying something, but he wasn't paying attention to his brother's words.

The sandy-haired boy snapped his eyes open when he realized how close the Skitters were. He tried to focus on which direction they in, but his brother was distracting him.

"Hal, would you shut up for two seconds?" Ben growled, the ringing getting stronger every second.

"No! You need to talk about this before it-"

Hal was cut off when Ben doubled over and cried out, clutching his head as the Skitters' frequency ripped through his mind.

Catching his younger brother before he fell, Hal asked in alarm, "Ben! Are you okay? Hey, take it easy!"

"Hal, there's Skitters coming right for us," the younger boy choked out, swinging his rifle off of his shoulder and flicking the safety off.

The older boy barely had enough time to ready his weapon before two Skitters exploded out of the bushes. The two Masons opened fire and killed the aliens before they could get too close.

Panting from the adrenaline that flooded through their veins, both boys looked at each, and Hal asked, "So, are you ready to head back?"

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Tom was worried.

Hal and Ben had returned from patrol with the news that they had killed a couple of Skitters. Neither one of them was harmed, and Weaver didn't believe their position was compromised. Everything had died down and people went back to their business, still chatting about the Skitter attack.

The attack wasn't what had the former professor worried.

The minute his boys had gotten back, Ben left his brother and disappeared into the crowd. They hadn't said a word to each other, and Tom still couldn't find his son. He asked Hal if he knew where he was, but his eldest son had no idea.

Tom knew that Ben was probably just on a walk somewhere, trying to clear his mind or something to that degree, but that didn't mean he wasn't concerned.

From what Anne and Hal had told him, something else was going on with Ben. Add that to what Tom had already noticed, and it was enough to plague any parent's mind.

He just hoped his second child was okay, wherever he was.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Ben had slipped away the moment he got back to camp, relieved to be away from his questioning brother. The sandy-haired teen slowly let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding when he was alone on the outskirts of camp.

He tried to gather his thoughts as everything rushed through his mind, just like it always did when the Skitters caught him off guard and he felt their presence in his head.

It made him think about every bad thing that had happened: the alien invasion, their mother's death, being harnessed, Jimmy's death, Pope's threats, his glowing spikes, the dry patches on his back.

Basically, anything that was giving him nightmares.

Ben took a deep breath as he composed himself for what seemed like the thousandth time, telling himself that things would work out. That, somehow, things would get better.

Because, in all honesty, how could they possibly get any worse?

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

**A/N **

**Hey, I'm back! Sorry for the long wait. I would gotten this up earlier, but I've been mega-busy. I hope you all enjoyed Chapter 3. Also, just to clarify, this will not become a Hal/Ben SlashFic. I'm mainly focusing on the tension they have as brothers. Sorry if there was any confusion. Special thanks to DancerInTheDark101, Ron W.312, CBloom2, yugutenia, Sirnonenath, lildancer98, hayden, and any guests that have graciously reviewed this story. I never expected this many people to reviews, so thank you, thank you, thank you, so much! You guys are the greatest!**


	4. Breaking But Not Broken

Nightmares

Ben finally returned to the tent later in the evening. He had seen his father and Hal sitting with everyone by the fire, and he knew they wouldn't be back for a while. It was dark, but Ben could see fine with the limited light shining down from the stars and the moon.

Suddenly, there was soft 'oomph!' somewhere behind him, and Ben whirled around. After he was satisfied no one was there, the teen soldier continued on his way. He was warier then before as he approached their temporary home.

The sandy-haired teen quietly entered the tent, looking around to see if anyone else was there. He was surprised to see Matt curled up on his cot, fast asleep.

Their father tried to get him to bed earlier, but the curly-haired youth liked to stay up with everyone else.

_He must have been really tired,_ Ben thought. _There's no way he'd have gone to bed this early unless he was exhausted._

A small whimper pulled the older brother out of his thoughts, and he immediately knew Matt was having a dream about almost being harnessed. The small boy might have been alright during the day, but he would have bad dreams about it for a little while.

Quickly going to his brother's cot, Ben started talking to him in a comforting tone. He knew that touching him was the worst possible thing he could, unless he was trying to wake him up. The contact would remind the nine year old of being held down by the Skitters, and that would only freak him out more.

His younger brother calmed down a bit, but he probably hadn't been resting for very long because the youngest Mason woke up from his fitful sleep, blinking slowly.

"Ben? Is that you?" The curly-haired boy asked with a small yawn.

"Yeah. Are you okay, buddy?" Ben asked, gently rubbing the smaller boy's shoulder as he stifled a yawn of his own.

"I-I had a dream about being harnessed, and there were Skitters everywhere! I couldn't move or run or anything!" Matt said in distress, tears in his eyes as he sat up.

Ben wrapped the nine year old in a tight embrace and cooed, "Shh. Shh. I know. It's okay. You're safe now, and we won't let anything happen to you. Okay?"

"Okay."

There was a moment of silence as Matt's breathing slowed, and then, "Ben. Are _you_ okay?"

The question caught him off guard, but he managed to reply evenly, "Of course. You know I'm fine."

"Even with all the bad things people are saying?" Matt asked, tightening his grip around his older brother.

"Even with all the bad things people are saying," Ben repeated softly, trying to reassure his brother that he was fine. "I try not listen, though."

"Me either," Matt agreed. "Why do they say stuff like that, anyway?"

The sandy-haired teen paused before carefully saying, "They don't like what I am or what happened. It scares some people and repulses others."

Looking up at his older brother, Matt said matter-of-factly, "Well, I don't care what people say. I know you'd never do anything to hurt us. You're my big brother, and I'll always love you, no matter what."

The sandy-haired teen smiled as his baby brother hugged him tighter.

"I love you, too, kiddo," Ben replied, his voice cracking slightly as his eyes pricked with small tears.

The teen soldier turned his head so Matt wouldn't see the water running from his green eyes and down his cheeks. He tried to keep the tears in, but, after months of hearing everyone's hateful comments and Hal looking at him like he was already a Skitter, the middle Mason son couldn't help but cry at Matt's blind trust and love for his older brother.

"Alright, buddy. Do you think you can get back to sleep?" Ben asked, still hiding his tears, but satisfied that his little brother had calmed down enough to rest some more.

"I think so..." Matt replied, pulling away from his older brother and lying back down.

The smaller boy curled into the blankets and was asleep in seconds, and Ben didn't bother trying to stop the relieved smile that formed when the soft, peaceful noises of his brother's breathing flitted throughout the tent.

The teen soldier looked down, his smile fading as an unsettling thought crept into his mind like a deadly predator. Matt said he would love him no matter what. Ben knew his little brother meant what he said, but what about the others? What would they do if they knew about everything? If they ever found out he was helping Red-Eye, Ben knew exactly what they'd do. They wouldn't believe him and they'd kill the rebelling Skitter the first chance they got.

He _hated_ lying to his family, but, right now, it was the only way. Who here would believe that the Skitters were just trying to break free of their masters' hold? Sometimes, it seemed like people forgot that the Skitters used to be children, too. That they were taken from their families, just like the kids here.

Sighing deeply, Ben went over to his own cot and set his rifle down on the floor next to the bed. It was soon accompanied by his weapons belt and his boots, creating a small pile on the ground.

With a grunt, he flopped down on his cot. After adjusting his positions to make sure the spikes wouldn't dig into his back or rip anything, Ben tried to get some sleep, but he wasn't in a hurry to doze off.

Sleep meant nightmares.

And nightmares meant Hal would bother him even more until his younger brother talked.

When that happened, Ben would break down, and he didn't know if he could get back up from that.

He shut his eyes in despair, groaning because he'd have to sleep eventually, and, when he did, the nightmares would return. Sometimes, he felt like he just couldn't win.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Hal had been keeping an eye out for his brother, just in case he showed up and tried to sneak off to the tent. The sixteen year old knew his brother was avoiding him, and it was starting to piss him off.

Maggie, who was sitting next to him, could see how frustrated he was getting with his younger brother, and she was trying to help smooth things out. But both of them knew it was a losing battle.

Hal sighed, looking away from the fire, and he did double-take when he saw Ben slinking away into the shadows. Maggie followed his line of sight, seeing the younger Mason disappear into the shadows as he no doubt headed for his family's tent.

The eldest Mason boy stood up quickly and made to follow his younger brother, but was stopped by a firm hand on his arm.

Hal looked at Maggie questioningly, but, before he could speak, she cut him off, "Just remember what I said about taking it easy on him. He's been through a lot, and you badgering him all the time probably isn't helping. So, just go easy on him."

The raven-haired teen nodded as he quickly followed his brother. It wasn't easy because it was dark, and Hal ended up tripping over lord-knows what, crashing into the ground. He quickly rolled behind an empty tent just as Ben wheeled around.

His younger brother slowly turned around, continuing on his way. He looked more alert, so Hal waited a couple of minutes before he got up and kept going. He cautiously peered through the sliver-like opening between the tent's flaps, and tried to be as quiet as possible, not wanting to alarm his brother.

He stopped before entering when he saw Matt say something to Ben, and the older boy looked slightly surprised as smiled, hugging the smaller boy.

He heard Ben tell Matt something as his head turned towards the tent entrance. Hal was shocked to see tears in the normally-cold boy's green eyes. The sixteen year quickly moved away from the opening, just in case Ben saw him.

Hal waited a few more minutes before he entered the tent, and he walked over to Matt's bed. The youngest Mason was fast asleep, curled in a ball with a peaceful expression on his face.

"'Night, buddy," he whispered with a small smile.

Hal glanced over at Ben, who looked like he was sleeping, and he sighed in defeat. He would have liked to talk to the other boy tonight, but it didn't look like that was going to happen.

Carefully depositing his weapons and combat boots, Hal crawled into bed and under his blankets. He would talk to Ben tomorrow, unless the sneaky teenager left before Hal got up and avoided him _all day._

Again.

The raven-haired boy drifted off into an uneasy sleep, worried for the younger brother who was slowly distancing himself from the rest of his family.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Ben had stayed up all night, determined not to fall asleep. Now, he was paying for it. He had 'woken up' this morning at six-thirty to an excited Matt telling him he hadn't had any more nightmares.

"Ben! I didn't have any bad dreams last night!" His younger brother had exclaimed, leaping onto his brother's cot and sitting on him.

"That's great!" The teen soldier had said, Matt's contagious smile causing him to grin. "Come on, buddy. Let's go get some breakfast before we wake dad or Hal up."

That's where Ben was now: eating oatmeal with his little brother and trying to keep his head from dropping into the bowl. The sandy-haired boy stifled another yawn, his eyelids drooping for the tenth time that moring.

"You look tired," Matt commented, just as their father and Hal approached the table. "Did you have nightmares last night?"

"Nope," Ben answered truthfully, glad he didn't have to lie for once. "Not one."

Just as he finished speaking, his father and Hal sat down at the table. They both had bowls of sludgy oatmeal and a cup of coffee, steam rising from each.

"You two are up early," Tom observed with a smile, taking the empty seat next to Matt.

"I think you mean _you two _are up _late,"_ Matt said smartly, grinning like the Cheshire Cat.

Hal took a seat and shot back playfully, "We're older than you, so we can sleep a little longer. Besides, we got back later than you."

Ben didn't point out that Hal had gotten back to the tent five minutes after Matt had fallen asleep. Instead, he finished his breakfast and pinched his leg every few seconds in an attempt to stay awake.

It probably hadn't been smart to stay up all night, considering the fact that he barely got any sleep to begin with, but at least he didn't have any nightmares.

"Hey, Ben, are doing okay?" Tom asked carefully.

"I'm fine," Ben said, causing Hal to tense. "Why?"

"You look tired is all," his dad replied.

"I'm fine," he repeated, standing up to get rid of his bowl. "Seriously, you guys don't have to worry."

Ben hurriedly walked away from the table, almost missing his father's concerned words.

"It's my job to worry."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Ben had, once again, been avoiding his family all day. Well, he was mainly avoiding Hal because he was more forward with his questions than anybody else. Thankfully, he hadn't run in to his older brother, and he was starting to feel optimistic.

And really, _really_ tired.

It was already about five in the evening, and Ben didn't know how he was still awake.

The exhausted teen was presently walking away from the med bus after another check-up. He was passing through a more empty part of camp when a hand shot out, grabbed him by the nape of his jacket, and pulled him behind one of the old, ramshackle buildings on the outskirts of camp.

Ben whirled around, his fatigue forgotten as he crouched into a defensive position and-

"Jesus, Ben! Take it easy!" Hal exclaimed, hands raised in a yielding position.

"What? _Hal, what the hell was that!_" Ben demanded, fuming.

"How else am I supposed to talk to you? You've been avoiding me all _day_!" The older teen snapped, clearly fed up.

"I told I'm-"

"Yeah, I know. You're _fine. _Good one. You're dead on you're feet, Ben!" Hal accused, blocking his brother's path as he tried to get by. "I _know_ you didn't get any sleep last night! You can hardly stay awake."

"I told you, Hal. It's fine," Ben hissed for the millionth time.

"No. It's not fine!" Hal argued. "It hasn't been fine for a while, and it won't be unless you talk to someone!"

"Just drop it! Okay!"

"No! I'm not going to stand by and watch you self destruct when I know there's something I can do!"

"There isn't anything you can do! So back off!"

"Yes, there is! If you'd just talk to someone-"

"What do I have to say to get through your thick skull? I _can't!_" Ben yelled back, throwing his arms into the air.

Hal stopped in surprise, his younger brother's words catching him off guard. "What do mean you can't?"

"I mean I _can't_!" Ben answered, tears forming in his green eyes as he felt his already-fragile psyche being pushed to its limit. "I can't just talk about what happened when I was harnessed or what happened to Jimmy or the spikes or anything else because, if I do, _everything_ will fall apart!"

The younger boy's chest was heaving painfully as he struggled to compose himself, but wasn't surprised to find that he was failing.

Miserably so.

"Ben..." Hal began, cautiously approaching his brother with surprise and concern in his brown eyes.

_"Don't._ I can't, alright? I just... can't," Ben choked out, his face anguished.

The fifteen year old rushed past his brother, and Hal didn't try to stop him as he left.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Ben ran out of camp as fast as he could, not caring what people thought. Their comments flew by him as he raced past without a reaction of his own. His only thought was to get away before he broke down, the thoughts and memories he pushed down every day threatening to rise to the surface and destroy the walls he put up around himself.

_"Razorback!" Someone called out from the crowd, too cowardly to show themselves._

_ "It wasn't your fault, you know," Jimmy said, trying to reassure his anguished friend after he shot his father._

_ "You have my word, I'll look after your boys as if they were my own. Even the spiky one. Unless he turns full Skitter, then all bets are off," Pope said as he threatened Tom, unaware of Ben and Jimmy hiding in the underbrush._

_ "It's like you're a completely different person now," Hal said, carefully watching his brother._

_ "They should have put a bullet in that half-breed's skull."_

_ "It's not fine! It hasn't been fine for a while, and it won't be unless you talk to someone!"_

Ben had reached his secluded grove of trees, his head pounding as he whispered angrily, "I'm _fine_! I don't _need_ anyone's help!"

He collapsed against a tree and whimpered, "I fine. I'll be fine. I can handle this by myself."

The traumatized soldier didn't know who he was trying to convince.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

When Hal had finally gotten over the shock of his normally-cold brother's words, he had emerged from behind the shack slightly shaken.

_Where did _that_ come from?_ He thought in confusion, remembering the tormented look on Ben's face.

What was going on in his little brother's head? How far was he being pushed? How much longer until he snapped? When would he let someone help? _Would_ he let someone help? Why wasn't he sleeping?

_Why doesn't he trust me?_

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

**A/N**

**I hope you all enjoyed Chapter 4! I was yawning **_**so **_**much throughout this chapter. How about you guys? Anyways, this story takes place in the week between "Young Bloods" and "Love and Other Acts of Courage." I incorporated the part about Red-Eye's "Skitter Rebellion," but the contents of that episode haven't transpired yet. Special thanks to everyone who has reviewed, Favorited, or Alerted this story. You guys are stupendous!**


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